A move by the NDA government in its second term to set up a separate ministry for fisheries has not satisfied the fisherfolk, at least in this part of the state. This was apparent in a high-powered meet that minister for fisheries Kota Shrinivas Poojari convened to discuss situation of coastal fishing. Fishermen were not happy with terms under which loan has been made available to them as part of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme. Fishermen and dairy farmers were brought under the ambit of KCC scheme in May 2019 which was meant exclusively for farmers growing crops. Fishermen community leader Naveen Bangera said KCC is a non-starter. With maximum credit of Rs 2 lakh available under KCC with a requirement that collateral be provided for loan above Rs 1.6 lakh as per RBI norms, there are not many takers. Most fishermen invest more than the Rs 2 lakh credit limit, he said. We are not allowed to pledge our house as collateral for they are in the CRZ areas as they have been traditionally there since many years, he said. Yashpal Suvarna, another leader said fishermen must be considered on par with farmers and given liberal credit to carry out what is a traditional and skilled operation. Ramakrishna, director, department of fisheries too averred that banks are very rigid when it comes to giving KCC for fishermen. Praveen M P, lead district manager said concept of KCC for farmers, which is to provide them with an overdraft facility for maintenance purpose as per a scale of finance determined by the district level task force committee, holds good for fishermen and dairy farmers too. As per this very scale of finance, fishermen with boats of 15-24m length are eligible for KCC limit of Rs 2 lakh, those with boats of 10-15m length for credit limit of Rs 1.25 lakh Banks in Dakshina Kannada have disbursed Rs 2.25crore to 230-odd fishermen applicants of KCC since January this year, Praveen said. The state level task force is empowered to increase the scale of finance, Praveen said, adding it could also take a call on issue of allowing houses in CRZ area for collateral. State government could also form a trust for fishermen on lines of Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises, Praveen noted.